Giveaways are a lot of fun and this one is no exception! CGOA's Professional Development Committee is excited to tell you about a fabulous free giveaway sponsored by Lion Brand yarn.

Lion Brand is the proud sponsor of Professional Development Day which will be held in Indianapolis, IN on July 17 and in Charlotte, NC October 2. You can find all the details here http://www.knitandcrochetshow.com/ and we hope you can join us for at least one show!

What Can You Win?

Take a look and see the fabulous prize package you can win. (Disclaimer: All photos shown are meant as samples only. Yarn photos do not indicate the color that may be included in the prize package.)

Copyright: All photos are copyright Lion Brand Yarn and are used with permission.

• A pack of Lion Brand's newest yarn release, Heartland, and the Royal Triangle Shawl pattern

• A pack of Bonbon mini-skeins and the Mini Granny Square Bookmarks pattern

• A skein of Kitchen Cotton and the One Ball Soap Bag pattern

• A tape measure, tote bag, and crochet hook

How Can You Enter?

To enter, simply comment on this blog post. If you've attended Professional Development Day in the past, tell us what is your favorite part about it! If you've never been, tell us why you would love to attend. You can also earn a second entry by visiting and "liking" the CGOA Professional Development Facebook page.


Contest Rules
Contest will be managed by the Rafflecopter app on the CGOA Professional Development Facebook page. Winner will be selected by random drawing by Rafflecopter.
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.
Must be 18 years or older to enter.
Void where prohibited by law.

Contest ends July 1, 2013, at midnight EDT.

Winner will be announced on the CGOA Professional Development Facebook page.

Winner must provide a valid email address to the CGOA Professional Development Facebook page via a Direct Message to the page by midnight EDT on July 8, 2013. If a message is not received by that time, the prize package will be forfeit and another winner will be selected.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability. Winner(s) will be contacted by email 48 hours after receiving email address.

Good luck to everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

National Crochet Month and Professional Development

I'd like to thank Amy Shelton and Donna Hulka of Crochetville for hosting this exciting blog tour in celebration of National Crochet Month! I have enjoyed reading all the posts each day this month. You can find the complete list here in case you missed any of them.

Please join us in supporting Project Night Night which is an organization that provides homeless children with a new security blanket, an age-appropriate children's book, and a stuffed animal -- all nestled inside of a new canvas tote bag. You can find all the details here.

For those of you that don't know me, I am Tammy Hildebrand and I am thrilled to be serving as your Vice President this year. Having previously served as CGOA's mentor coordinator and the professional development chairperson, I'd like to take this opportunity to share some of the great benefits CGOA has to offer.

Did you know the Crochet Guild offers a mentoring program at no additional charge other than the cost of membership? We've got professional members ready to help you achieve your goals whether you're working towards a career in technical editing, contract crocheting, teaching, and of course designing. You must already be actively pursuing your goals on your own but if you qualify, our mentor coordinator will place you with an established professional to work with one-on-one for up to two years!

Currently in development is a brand new online teaching group. Some of your favorite conference teachers will share their experience and knowledge on topics such as how to propose and prepare classes, creating handouts for your students, how to gauge your time, material fees and so on. This is not a class on teaching so you must already have some teaching experience.

And speaking of the conference, we will be in Indianapolis, IN July 17-21 for our summer show and in Charlotte, NC October 2 - 6 for our fall conference. Read about all the exciting events and classes planned for the annual Knit and Crochet Show. One of my favorite events is Professional Development Day, also known as PDD. This is a daylong event that kicks off the conference first thing Wednesday morning. Each year we have a different theme, various speakers and topics, and interesting formats to help you increase your knowledge about what it takes to be a professional.

Also at our conferences we hold a  "Designer Meet and Greet" with editors and publishers from your favorite       magazines and yarn companies. This is such a unique opportunity to have actual face time to show your designs to the publishers. It is not uncommon to sell a design right off your back! Where else could you do something like that? So what are you waiting for? Stop by our website to learn more and you too could be a member of the Crochet Guild of America!

Be sure to pop over to This is Crochet, our other stop on the tour today. Turquoiz Blue is one of our  professional members that designs beautiful fashion, accessories and home decor. Be sure to check out her Fleurette Scarf, a clever piece done in Tunisian Knit Stitch that I think is so pretty.

You can find me on my blog at Hot Lava Crochet and also on Facebook at Hot Lava Crochet. I hope I will  see many of you at an upcoming conference. Please be sure to come up and introduce yourself!